


Plagued

by CorvidConundrum



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Gift, Gift Fic, Historical, History, Language Barrier, Plague, Plague Doctor - Freeform, Sex, Smut, barecelona
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6154707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvidConundrum/pseuds/CorvidConundrum





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DollyPop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DollyPop/gifts).



The sun over head glared down in an almost blinding light that glinted off of the masonry and road. His cart jolted and rattled catching on loose or broken stones behind him as he pulled it down the cobblestone road. Sweat slid from his hair line and trailed down his face in scalding line. He sighed stopping beneath the canopy of one of the darkened stores and adjusted his mask to allow a small breeze in. His fingers wiped over the lenses trying to clear some of the grime and flaking blood that clung to them. The sweet oils and herbs were beginning to loose their potency. He would have to replace them soon. He surveyed the nearly barren street as he stretched. The plague had swept through the city like invisible soldiers with a ferocity that had not been seen since the Spanish took control. Stein leaned against the cart again, the jars and bottles clinking at the shift in weight. Barcelona, a normally bustling city, where one would be nearly incapable of going a few steps with out venders coaxing a purchase and charming the last coins from your life savings, was as silent as the grave. Many craftsmen, servants and nobles had pulled into the recesses of estates leaving only the dead or homeless lying in the street. The looming plumes of smoke from the pyres that burned the infected bodies hung heavy overhead clawing at the pale blue sky. Despite the connotations it held the silence was rather peaceful. 

A glint of golden light at the edge of his vision caught his eye. He peeked around the side of his cart and blinked as his gaze fell upon a small young woman who was walking in his direction. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun, much of it having already escaped the tie and hung over her eyes. Her skin was a sun kissed color that spoke of long summer days out doors. She looked perfectly healthy from where he stood, and judging by the thin summer dress so wore she was definitely not poor, yet here she was. Trudging through the nearly empty streets. Though, if her expression from behind the map she was clutching were to be any indicator, she was no doubt lost. As she drew closer he noticed that if she continued the was she was she would no doubt walk into the back of his cart.

“Signora” Stein said, his voice muffled by the mask and thin from thirst, as he gave a loose wave to get her attention. The woman stopped and looked up, her eyes. No that wasn't quiet right. He paused for a moment. Her single eye was a deep amber color, where the other was supposed to be an empty and scarred socket stared at him. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking again. 

“Hai perso?” He tried to make his voice was even and calm yet the words still caught and stumbled from his mouth. 

When she spoke it was like music and the words she spoke with were undoubtedly from the east. He had heard traveling merchants use similar words as he passed through the port area on his way home. He smile apologetically and realized she couldn’t see his face so gave a small shake of his head and a light shrug. She frowned, her lips drawing into a tight line, and her brows furrowed as she stepped closer to him holding out the map. He gently took it between two fingers and glanced at her again before studying it. 

The map seemed to be fairly new, the details depicted on it were sharp and defined showing even the lands across the ocean, however it was in a language that despite the similarities in alphabet was completely foreign to him. He was about to speak again when she spoke again, gestured to a point on the map and looked up at him with a question in her eye. He blinked staring at her for a moment before looking to the spot she indicated. He pulled the map closer squinting, the area she had indicated was to the east but farther north than anything he had heard about before. He may have been a learned man but cartography was not one of his fortes. 

The woman next to him made an impatient nose and he looked at her shaking his head and returning the map to her. She took it with a somewhat crestfallen expression murmuring something as she turned to leave. He felt something in his chest catch and tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Signora” he said, clearing his throat before continuing. “Vuoi ottenere qualcosa da mangiare?” He asked, using his hand to pantamime. She blinked confusion settling on her face. Her eye lit up, eyebrows shooting up, and a smile spread across her face as she nodded. He swallowed, an odd feeling settling into his chest, and adjusted his mask again seeking a fresh breeze to cool his face.


	2. 2

The cart rattled behind him as they made their way down the street. She would occasionally stop and murmur something as she observed the masonry, or the multi colored canopies that hung over the shops and entryways. She stopped once excitedly flitting about a florists cart, a smile spreading across her face seeming as if it were glowing when she did. He leaned back against his cart to watch her each time she veered from the direction they were heading, a small smile tugging at his lips each time. She seemed so full of life in a way that was entirely different from the normally bustling city. Or maybe it was that he found her more interesting than the bland denizens of the city.  
As they neared the cafe he veered closer to the side of the street and slid his cart into an alley way next to a potters shop. She stood there watching him, her eyes darting around and drinking in the surroundings with a burning curiosity that made her eye seem to shine like a miniature sun. He stretched for a moment and motioned for her to follow him into the cafe. The door stood wide open, the smell of fresh bread and salted meats hung in the air the smell making his mouth water, the fact that he could smell through the herbs and oils was unnerving. He would have to replace them with fresh ones soon if he wanted to avoid catching anything.   
He walked over to a small table and pulled out a seat, motioning for her to sit. She looked at it for a moment before moving to sit in the opposite chair and blinking at him with a small smile that made him smile behind the mask as he sat in the chair he had pulled out. A small plump red-faced man approached, his hands worried at each other as he neared. He cleared his throat a few times before asking what he could do for them and Stein fight the urge to laugh outright. He always enjoyed walking into places like this in his doctors garb, the people always gave him a wide birth and usually jumped when he spoke. There was little to amuse him in the city so he took it where he could get it.   
Asking for some bread coffee meat and cheese he spoke in a quiet and even voice, his lenses focused on the man as he did. When he finished speaking the man bobbed and scuttled off throwing glances over his shoulder as he went. Stein sighed and leaned back in the chair as he lifted the hat from his head and placed it on the floor. Next he loosened the strap that held the mask in place and pulled it from his face. The air was cool as it caressed his face gelling the sweat on his skin nearly instantly. 

Marie blinked as she watched him pull the odd bird like mask from his face. His hair clung to his face and scalp in thick silver curls.His eyes were the color of freshly picked green olives. His skin was almost as pale as hers used to be before she had set out from home. An odd feeling settled in her chest as she looked at him taking in all the details. His face was handsome and there was only a single scar that marred the skin. A vast difference to that of the sailors that she had been surrounded by for the last few months. His eyes settled on her face and one of his brows lifted, disappearing behind one of the thick locks. A warm flush crept across her cheeks and she looked away, her eye skimming over the details of the cafe. Her fingers played with the thin fabric or her dress, smoothing it on her lap and picking at dirt.


	3. 3

Marie jumped looking up from her lap when the platter of meats, cheeses and sliced bread clunked as the round refaced man place it on the table, pitcher of steaming black liquid on to the table and murmured something before he scuttled off again. She watched him as he scurried off, pointedly throwing glances back at the man that sat across from her. She arched a brow and turned to her dining partner who stared at her with a small smirk tugging at his lips. He gestured to the food that had been placed in front of them and poured a cup of the black liquid for himself. 

Marie looked at the platter in front of her, her mouth watering at the sight of the of it all. It had been weeks at least since she had had anything that wasnt stale, smoked, salted or preserved in any way for the long trek across the ocean. Even the oranges and lemons, which had quickly grown soft and lost much of their sweetness after they left port, had seemed bland. Now the rich aroma of fresh bread and sharp smell of sausages and cheeses filled her senses. She closed her eye and took a deep breath in, savoring the smell of it, before grabbing a slice of cheese and taking a bite. The flavor coated her palette in a soft wave and she rolled it around in her mouth before popping the slice in her mouth. 

The man across from her grabbed a sausage and looked at it considerately before taking a bite, his eyes wandering over the cafe as he chewed. His face was pale, a small sheen of sweat still clinging to his forehead. A small bead of glistening sweat slid loose from the tangle of his curls, cupping his cheekbone above the thin rough scar before rolling down to dangle from his sharp jaw. His eyes were locked onto her face, a small lazy smirk tugging at the scar. She blinked and swallowed hard looking away, suddenly aware that she had been staring. Heat rose to her cheeks and a faint ringing played through her ears as she reached for a slice of bread.


	4. 4

The silence, for the most part, was comfortable. It had been a while since he had shared a meal with anyone and the fact that there was no clawing feeling of making no unnecessary conversation to fill the silence was something that he savored. The last time he had shared a meal with some one was a courtesan who had no doubt been looking to climb the social ladder. Though most people wouldn't consider a doctor to be of high status most of them had probably had to sell their bodies, scrapped for meals or sleep in a stable. He frowned furrowing his brows at the thought of the woman, from the moment he had seen her he had thought of her as a snake in the grass. Though he did pity the child that rode at her heels. The jittery way they wrung their hands and the bruises that painted their skin was enough to make him fume. He was not one to judge the way people raised their children but the blatancy of what the courtesan had done to the poor child was enough to make him fume for hours. Perhaps that was why when he had passed the pile of bodies on the way to the pyre he had stopped and smiled at one particular corpse. Just the memory of the bloated and grey corpse covered in pustules and half buried in other corpses made the corner of his mouth twitch. 

He had been too lost in thought, too relaxed by the presence of the woman across from him, to notice the man that approached them until he was right next to him. Stein looked up at the redhead with a small frown tugging at his lips. He had been avoiding his friend since his child had been born and incessantly insisted that stein hold the child when he was visiting. He had nothing against children but his friend just had no idea when to quit and obviously didn't take note of how irritated his wife was at the suggestions much less his presence. If he did notice then he apparently didn't give a damn. Though he had a feeling it was more likely the former. 

“Hey Frankie long time no-” His friend stopped midsentance taking note of the woman who sat with him. A smile spread across his face and his eyebrows arched. Stein frowned harder and looked up at the red head with a silent warning in his eyes. Spirit smirked and leaned on the table. “ciao piccola signora, whats your name?” 

“She's not from around here, shes lost. She doesn't speak our language.” Stein said with a sigh. 

“well atleast shes not a courtesan” spirit said impishly reaching for the platter. Stein grabbed the red heads wrist and flipped it over to inspect the pale underside of his arm considerately. 

“Have you been feeling well lately? You're usually more sanguine than this. Perhaps some leeches or bloodletting will help you feel better. If not I've recently learned of a few new techniques i would certainly enjoy trying out.” Steins voice was soft and cold when it came out, his thumb brushing over the pulse in spirits wrist. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the blood leave his face and he felt a small smile tug at his lips. Spirit yanked his wrist free and turned to skulk off to the side just out of his reach. 

“You going to try to find a translator to help her?” he asked rubbing his wrist. Stein nodded pulling a small chunk of bread from the loaf and putting some cheese on it. 

“I was going to take her to azusa after we finished eating.” he said simply as he popped the bread and cheese into his mouth. 

“I thought you weren't allowed near the temple anymore?” spirits voice lilted at the question. 

“Which is why i'm most fortunate that you arrived when.” Stein smirked looking up at his friend.


	5. 5

Stein pulled at his collar and adjusted the tricorn hat to allow more air to flow over his temples and curls. Spirit looked back to him with a severe frown. “caro fratello I dont understand why you insist on coming along still dressed as that and lugging that cart no less. It is far too hot out today, especially in the prescense of a raggio di sole such as that which has graced us.” He said gesturing to the blond who had wordlessly insisted on lagging to walk behind with him. Stein scowled at him from behind his mask remembering that his face was hidden he shook his head, catching a glance of the exceedingly dangerous look that the blond was shooting spirit which more that expressed what he was unable to. 

Marie had seen looks like the red head had shot her before, on the faces of those who were in her village and the neighboring villages and nearly any man that she had ever met that had tried to play her. Whether they spoke the same language or not didn’t matter to her. She had spent enough time around men in her life to know when they merely wanted a bed companion for the night and despite how tired she was from walking and the heat she still managed to shoot him a look that hopefully mirrored her mormors expression when her father was being particularly rude. Judging by the color that quickly melted from his face and the quick return to the direction they were headed she assumed that she had came close enough and sighed. 

Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed that many of the buildings had begun to grow squatter and melt away. The cobbles beneath her feet were worn smooth and flat, the odd bits of weeds that had previously dotted the spaces between the stones gone. A loud echoing sound rung from above her sending a shock through her and she frantically searched for the source. A large gloved hand gently rested its self on her, quickly retreating when she jumped. She turned to see the masked figure gesturing upwards. Marie felt her breath hitch as she looked towards where he was gesturing. Before her stood what looked like a palace. Large stained glass windows gleamed like captured rainbows. Massive archways yawned down at her. Spires clawed at the sky and odd stone creatures clung to ledges above the old men carved from marble leered out at them from alcoves. The wooden doors were polished and seemed to emit a golden glow. The immense dome at the top of it all shined like a miniature sun This one building seemed an attempt to make up for all the color that the rest of the city lacked. Or was it that this building had drained the rest of the city of its colors. The building vaguely resembled a church from back home but was far more grandiose than anything she had seen in her travels. The eccentricity of it made her uneasy. That such a grand building would exist while people hid in their drab homes or kept a wide birth of each other while in public didn't seem quiet right. 

The silver haired man next to her sighed shaking his head as the red head sauntered off calling over his shoulder as he entered the building. Marie shifted and looked to the man that stood next to her. He leaned against the cart pulling his hat off to fan himself.


End file.
